Bunny Rabbit Trash Can is Super Contemporary Design

London's Design Museum asked 15 top designers to show what the city means to them through design. The Museum commissioned this creative group to give back something to London that would celebrate the "the creative magnetism of London and its enduring reputation as the heart of contemporary design."

The results are less than satisfying. Among them is a bunny rabbit trash can by the famous super designer Paul Smith. It's big (5 ft.) and green and stands on its hind legs, holding a large custom-designed plastic garbage bag. Every time someone throws litter in, the bunny’s ears perk up and beam a light. Hmmm, apparently there are 2 more placed around town.

More impressive is the street light fixture by Thomas Heatherwick. He has taken the most anonymous of all street furniture, the lamp post, and made it into something grand and effective--a focal point for the street and for meeting. He has used off-the shelf products, and clumped them together. They become street sculpture which is functional. Heatherwick is famous for his organic design; his East Beach Cafe being an architectural delight.

El Ultimo Grito, two spanish designers living in the UK, have created a new hanging garden of Babylon--Horatio's Garden. It would be suspended over Trafalgar Square, London's great pedestrian centre. The garden would float 46 metres above the square, supported by vast columns through which the public could reach it. It's conceptual, of course and part of the team's exploration of the use of public spaces.

David Adjaye has designed a bus shelter that is more than just functional. It is made up of a kit of parts that can be adapted to the location. The inter-changeable pieces include a desk for working while waiting, a bench and a stool for leaning, sitting or perching. The canopy has images of trees to create the impression of an urban gazebo. The Design Museum